Brady shines amid ordinary

More than any other big-time sport, the NFL relies on shock value -- a ghastly mistake, baffling strategy, a little-known player emerging into the spotlight -- for its playoff entertainment. That's why it was so refreshing to see Tom Brady pull out another victory for the New England Patriots on Sunday; sometimes you can't beat familiarity for pure satisfaction.

Before the days of parity, frantic player movement and just plain incompetence, the NFL built its postseason legend on tried-and-true stars, the likes of Johnny Unitas, Roger Staubach, Jerry Rice and Lynn Swann. Once the playoffs started, you could count on them to make the great plays, the smart decisions, the cool-under-pressure miracles.

These days? We're pretty much down to Brady. The games are no less thrilling, the spectacle no less appealing, but there's a different feel. You start wondering if a Rex Grossman-Matt Hasselbeck duel is pretty much the peak of January fare. It was an all-NFL television weekend at the 3-Dot Lounge, and it seemed an endless wait until an old-time, traditional hero -- a modern-day Joe Montana, Bart Starr or Terry Bradshaw -- rose to the surface.

Peyton Manning certainly isn't that man. The biggest shock of Saturday's play was an Indianapolis victory -- in the hostile environment of Baltimore, no less -- crafted strictly by defense and the running game. We've come to realize that Manning isn't the same player when the stakes get highest, more resembling the silly guy in those TV ads than a heartless executioner, but this was a particularly bad show.

Aside from the two interceptions by the Ravens' Ed Reed, Manning was spared two more when the slightest tip (each time by linebacker Ray Lewis) foiled what would have been easy picks by his teammates. Manning had wide receiver Aaron Moorehead wide open for an easy touchdown late in the first half, only to throw it slightly long and way too close to the left sideline. Even on the Colts' game-clinching drive, a seven-minute masterpiece, Manning's influence was only mildly noticeable.

Credit Colts coach Tony Dungy and his defensive coordinator, Ron Meeks, for this one; outclassing the Baltimore defense in that setting was nothing short of masterful. Come the AFC title game against New England on Sunday, the Colts will be lucky to keep it close, perhaps relying more on the ex-New England kicker, Adam Vinatieri, than anything Manning might accomplish.

(By the way, it's only fitting that the Colts won in Baltimore. They never should have left. Fifty years from now, their senseless, cowardly departure will be remembered as a dark episode in league history, and never forget the name of the idiot who made it happen: Robert Irsay.)

At a time when the beleaguered NFC needs a fresh look, the New Orleans-Chicago title game couldn't be a better matchup. Jeff Garcia had a nice run for the Eagles, but in the wake of Saturday's loss to the Saints, the transition back to Donovan McNabb will be a no-brainer for all concerned. This is Drew Brees' time in the larger scheme of things, not Garcia's, and it is especially New Orleans' time in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

Reggie Bush certainly got off the hook, didn't he? After a spectacular touchdown run in the second quarter, he fumbled a very catchable pitch with 3:18 left and handed Philadelphia the ball. Garcia, though flawed throughout the night, certainly deserved better after his clutch 4th-and-10 throw (to Hank Baskett) apparently kept Philadelphia's hopes alive in the last two minutes.

What wrecked it? A Raiders moment. When Scott Young was called for a false start, wrecking the play and forcing a 4th-and-15 that switched the Eagles into punting mode, it felt like every offensive snap of the Raiders' season.

By the time the Seahawks and Bears got down to crunch time, it was more obvious than ever that we're experiencing the worst era for wide receivers in NFL history. It's not even close, really. From the days of the 1960s, when the panorama of greats included Lance Alworth, Otis Taylor, Don Maynard, Paul Warfield, Bob Hayes and Charley Taylor, we have ... what? The Colts' Marvin Harrison? If you're talking about class, consistency and high-caliber production, he's about it.

When Muhsin Muhammad and Bernard Berrian dropped vitally important passes from Grossman, it only continued the trend: Everybody drops everything. Take any given game, and you'll have a half-dozen inexcusable drops, guaranteed. Either that or every wideout struts around in a dancing, gesturing, trash-talking frenzy, and you can't stand to look at him any longer. Thankfully, all of the really bad actors (led by Terrell Owens and Randy Moss) are gone, but to me, it's a stunning development when anyone actually hangs onto a pass.

Grossman, in the manner of every other playoff quarterback who wasn't named Brady, was hardly magnificent. But he did throw two absolutely perfect balls -- to Berrian for a 68-yard touchdown in the second quarter, and to Rashied Davis on a 30-yard strike that set up the game-winning field goal. He'll take those two balls to the bank, believe me -- or to Rush Street, Chicago's famed stretch of nightclubs, whichever comes first.

Here's a toast, also, to theBears' remarkable defense, giving us two linebackers (Brian Urlacher and Hunter Hillenmeyer) making sensational, down-the-field plays that denied Seattle wide receivers a potential touchdown. Those linebackers might as well have been defensive backs, for all the ground they covered.

As for the fallen San Diego Chargers, don't blame coach Marty Schottenheimer, although he did make a preposterous error in throwing the challenge flag (and costing himself a timeout) for no good reason on the play that cost his team the season. Perhaps he simply couldn't believe that safety Marlon McCree, after making a huge interception, turned into an utter fool by fumbling it right back to the Patriots. Eight points down, Brady quickly got the game tied, and you know the rest.

As for the television coverage, it was nice to experience the big leagues for a change. After a season of F-team network crews working the 49ers' and Raiders' games, we got play-by-play by Greg Gumbel, Dick Stockton, Joe Buck and Jim Nantz -- none of them in Al Michaels' league, but in that coveted Not Horrible category that passes for brilliance these days.

Among the analysts, our You Gotta Be Kidding award goes to Howie Long, who managed to say the word "football" three times in seven seconds -- including the unforgettable phrase, "their ability to pound the football at the end of the football game." Congratulations, Howie. That truly stamps you as a man's man. Sadly, you are not alone.